Question

the planets orbit the sun in this model of the solar system. if this model were shown to scale, several planets would be too small to see compared to the sun!
select the true statements.
the sun is much more massive than any of the planets or other objects in the solar system.
if the planets were suddenly unaffected by the suns gravity, they would most likely crash into the sun.
if the planets suddenly lost all their forward motions, they would most likely fly off into space in straight paths in different directions.
the suns gravitational pull balances all the planets forward motions, keeping them in orbit around it.

Explanation:

• The Sun contains over 99.8% of the total mass of the solar system, so it is far more massive than any planet or other object.
• Without the Sun's gravity, planets would move in straight, constant-velocity paths (Newton's first law) away from their orbits, not crash into the Sun.
• If planets lost their forward motion, the Sun's unbalanced gravity would pull them directly toward the Sun, not send them flying into space.
• Orbital motion relies on the Sun's gravitational pull acting as a centripetal force, balancing the planet's inertial forward motion to keep it in a curved orbit.

Answer:

A. The Sun is much more massive than any of the planets or other objects in the solar system.
D. The Sun's gravitational pull balances all the planets' forward motions, keeping them in orbit around it.